Making lemonade out of lemons!

After the third snow storm and the over-heating of our car, you'd think we would have taken the hint that we were not meant to compete in our triathlon. We were headed to Vegas for the Showdown and Sundown and apparently someone was telling us to turn back but we were two determined chicks on a mission and nothing was going to stop us...not even a smoking engine.

Allison drove the entire 7 1/2 hours there and through each snow storm we would chuckle and shake our heads at the ridiculous weather. We had several conversations about how "over" winter we were and how much we longed for Spring to arrive. And then, the car's engine temperature started to skyrocket. I think Allison noticed a difference in the way it was driving and immediately looked down and saw the temp in the RED...not good. Before we knew it, we were on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere with smoke pouring out of her VW van. Instead of panicking, we laughed our heads off...I mean REALLY laughed, you know, the belly kind. And after fixing the problem, instead of taking it as a sign we should turn back, we, again, pushed on.

Giving up because of a little bad weather and car problem wasn't an option....no, it would take 52 degree water temp to begin that ball rolling. That was the news we received when we walked into the race headquarters to pick up our packet. Hmmm, I like to think we are pretty damn tough but I know we aren't stupid. Nevertheless, we went to bed that night with a few fun butterflies in our stomachs. You know, the excited nervous kind. We dreamed of sunshine and warm weather.

We woke to cloudy, windy and cold weather. Allison and I laughed! It was becoming a comedy of errors. And we were soaking it up. I think there comes a time during any trip when you have to throw your arms up and say, "I give up. What are we REALLY supposed to do?" We went out to the race start at Lake Mead and quickly learned that the swim was cancelled. I guess it was then that we knew our triathlon was not meant to happen on this day.

But, we turned the moment into something great. We were in this beautiful spot, Lake Mead National Park and we were going to have an adventure. So we parked, changed into our running gear and asked this wonderful man, a park volunteer, where we should run. "No question. Run to Hoover Dam. It is 3.7 miles in and 3.7 miles out." And then he added, "You were the smart ones. That water is too cold!" We smiled. The run was gorgeous and while we ran, the sun came out and the sky cleared up.

Do you know how we turned this lemon of a situation in to pure sweet lemonade? We made the most of every second together. Allison and I are both moms to two toddlers. Both 5 and 3-ish years old. Whenever we are together, the kids are usually in tow. For a solid 35 hours, there wasn't anyone else to worry about. We talked, sang, told endless stories about our lives and got to know each other even better. Frankly, time is such a precious gift and we were so thankful for it.

We went on our run, hopped into the car and made a bee-line to In and Out Burger...can you believe she had never been...even after 7 years in LA. After 13 1/2 hours in the car over a 35 hour period, we arrived home, safe, sound and bit giddy at 8:30pm about 2 hours after we were supposed be done with our race. Life throws everyone curve balls...what do you make of yours?

World Water Day

I should know a thing or two about water….I feel I have spent more time in water than I have in school. Somewhat scary! But, I also know a thing or two about the non-chlorinated kind.

I grew up in Northern California when ever summer was considered a drought. We never had enough water to keep our lakes full and I was always worried that we were going to run out of the good ole H2O. I grew up thinking and believing that water was a precious commodity. And I try to do the same with my kids.

Here are a few easy ways to conserve water that your kids will actually GET!

Turn the water off when you are brushing your teeth. Just a splash to wet your toothbrush and a few rinses to get the toothpaste off at the end. This was drilled into our heads growing up. In my world, there is no other way to brush your teeth.

This one may be a little gross but, in your most active bathrooms, use this motto, “If it’s yellow let it mellow, If it’s brown, flush it down.” I remember seeing this sign in a Berkeley bathroom when I was younger…it made me giggle but the rhyme stuck.

Only wash your clothes if they are dirty. Even little kids have a semi-clean day and don’t need to wash their jeans. Cut down on the amount of laundry you do by washing only when things are filthy.(really need it)

Make your shower shorter. Honestly, you don’t need to wash your hair every day. I wash mine every 3rd or so…gotta give the locks a break. So, do a quick wash-a-roo and be done. Save the longer shower for another day.

Just a few friendly tips in celebration of World Water Day, March 22, 2011! Drink some H2O and be grateful!

Smile, we survived another mom day!

I say this with a huge smile on my face but today was one of those days where my husband and I looked at each other, put our hands up for a high five and said, "We survived!"

When our kids were newborns, we never got a full night sleep. At one point, we actually calculated it and I think we went about 3 years on month without getting a full night sleep while at home. (we did sneak away for a few adults-only trips) It is similar to the way I look back on my swimming schedule in high school...I don't know how in the hell I physically did it.

Sleep, I find, is only missed if you are reminded that you are missing it. In other words, once you do get a full night sleep, your body then gets a little ticked off realizing it has missed a few zzz's. Well, with our life, we have had several full nights of sleep lately. We are down right spoiled, to be honest with you. I am not gonna lie, I love my sleep. I cherish my sleep now more than ever and when I don't get a full night sleep...I am a walking zombie. Ok...let me clarify...when I am woken up at 3 am and not allowed to go back to sleep, I am a walking zombie.

That was my night last night. My son yells at me...yes I meant to write yells "at" me because he does with all his vocal strength. I run in there and he has wet his bed. So, time for a little snuggle session. Only problem, the lil one doesn't want it to be bedtime still. He didn't fuss, just played around enough so that I couldn't go back to sleep. And, since I am a few months into my full nights of sleep, it hit me hard this morning.

My eyes were heavy, I couldn't form sentences correctly. I was tweeting words out of place :). How did I do it when my kids were babies? How did I not get lost trying to drive myself home? How did I not pick up the wrong kid from the grocery cart?

My husband and I got the kids asleep and I am now going to curl up into my tempurpedic and hopefully hit REM in about 30 secs. Life is good when this is all we have to survive! :)

My divorced family is perfectly imperfect.

Something just happened that made me want to brag a bit about my parents. I can't talk about that "something" but I will say this, I am very proud of my them. They divorced when I was 7 and my brother was 9. I had no idea what "divorce" actually meant at the time and when they told me that my mom was moving out and getting her own place, I quickly drew up a plan where they could both live in our current house by sticking to a strict schedule when it came to the kitchen(the only room they both needed to use.) The plan went out the window and so did a little piece of my heart as I moved houses every six months for the next 10 years.

Don't get me wrong, I don't feel sorry for myself. I think divorce had a ton of positive affects on my life. It allowed me to REALLY get to know each of my parents. I am very proud of my relationships with my mom and dad. When you are a kid of divorce, you either talk about your feelings or you drown a little bit and WE TALKED. There are only a few fights that I remember between my mom and dad but they are far out-weighed by the great times. It was when I was about 12 years old or so when I noticed they started to become friends again.

Often times, my parents were the only two at our swim meets. So, they were kind of forced to talk to each other. I also like to think that they decided that it was worth it to try to patch up their broken relationship enough so that we could all hang out together as a "family" when needed. And, "when needed" ended up being quite often as time ticked on. Christmas', Thanksgiving's, birthday's and swim meets, we were often a mixed up random bunch, but we were together. My mom would bring her boyfriend, my dad would bring his girlfriend and my parents would, suck it up.

I was married when I was 24 and divorced 3 years later. I am thankful that we did not have any children and that our break was clean. Believe me, I know how difficult it was for my mom and dad to become friends, and I am damn proud of them for it. They have put my brother and I and our happiness before their own. They continue to do this now for us and even more so for their grandkids. Time is precious, and they are soaking up every second. My mom said to me the other day that the fact that her and my dad come together during the holidays is unique maybe even a bit strange. I told her that although I think it was unique 20 years ago, it is becoming more normal. In a way, they indirectly paved the way! Divorce can bring out the worst in people. I am proud to say that my parents are amazing and they have brought out the best in each other!